AFT Awards: Best Ending

This is the eighteenth category of the 1st Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by film title. Winners will be announced in late February.

Warning: obvious spoilers ahead. Do not read if you have not seen the films mentioned below.

The nominees:
ATONEMENT
“This is all an invented fantasy.” The elderly Briony recounts how both Robbie and Celia died before they ever got a chance to see each other. Celia’s death is the most powerful moment in this finale, as she looks up hauntingly as the water floods in to the tunnel. Yet the movie ends on an interesting note that antagonized some – home video-like footage of Robbie and Celia frolicking on the beach, which I take to be the ultimate image of happiness that Briony had for the two lovebirds she kept apart.

FIRST SNOW
There is nothing loud or violent about it. A radio newscaster recounts a fatality from the snowy night where one driver skidded off the road. It is the calm, gloomy aura of the blanketed visuals that drives home the point that Jimmy’s fate was truly inevitable. It gets you thinking and remains memorable without so much as a bang or a gunshot.

THE KINGDOM
Along with “In the Valley of Elah”, this film ends on a strong political note. Ronald reveals what he said to Janet to comfort her – “Don’t worry, we’re going to kill them all.” Cut to the family of the terrorist, comforting each other after his death, and what do they say? The same thing. An interesting message for a movie which was mostly an action extravaganza.

THE LIVES OF OTHERS
A good portion of the final act of this film is quite terrific – but what constitutes an ending? Wiesler running out into the middle of the street to tell her that he moved the typewriter and Dreyman finding out that there were infinite files on him are great scenes, but it is that totally serious, almost joyous line by Wiesler – “It’s for me” that ends the film on a grand note.

SMOKIN' ACES
This was an uneven but exciting film, but the ending completely blows away the rest of the movie in a terrific way. Messner learns that Primo Sparazza is actually the undercover FBI agent, and Buddy Israel is his son. Messner sees the two of them lying next to each other, goes in, thinks to himself for a second, and closes the door before pulling the plug on both of them. Clint Mansell’s terrific “Dead Reckoning” plays over it for one of the best movie endings I have seen in a while.